Residents and council workers clash over farming land

Hundreds of families in Glenview South are furious at some City of Harare workers for allegedly invading their small urban farming plots near Feroworks Paddocks.

Senior citizens, 70-year-old Gogo Elizabeth Seumeni and 80-year-old Sekuru Thomas Makuvaza are among many other elders who came to express their dissatisfaction over council workers who are reported to have invaded their land at Harare's Feroworks Paddocks.

The elderly citizens say their only source of livelihood where they practice urban farming is being illegally snatched away from them.

"I have been growing maize here for the past twenty years and surprisingly after buying my inputs and finishing preparations for this year, the City Council workers have come to invade our land, this is where we used to survive from, this is not fair, does this mean that if you are a council worker you have the right to invade our plots," a disgruntled Gogo Seumeni said.

A fuming Sekuru Makuvaza had this to say, "we used to fend for all the vulnerable elders and their dependents but this paints a gloomy picture, we want this issue to be resolved as we have a gentlemen's agreement with the City Council. For years we have been growing our maize in this land, how come individual council workers now want to dislodge us?"

ZANU PF shadow Member of Parliament for Glenview South Mr. Offard Muchuwe appealed for the council to investigate the alleged scandal involving its workers and take a holistic approach towards the plight of these senior citizens and the vulnerable.

"I have seen these people till this land for over 10 years, and such humiliation and ill-treatment by council workers is worrisome. Abuse of office should not go unchecked," said Mr. Muchuwe.

Asked to comment on claims by the city workers that the land belongs to them, Harare Town Clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango refuted the claims.

He said the City of Harare does not have any law that gives power to its workers to takeover urban farming land from residents.